X Ads is the advertising platform for X (formerly Twitter), one of the world’s most active real-time social networks. The platform reaches roughly 611+ million monthly active users. It gives advertisers access to a conversation-driven environment where breaking news, trending topics, and cultural moments create high-context advertising opportunities.
X uses performance-based pricing: advertisers pay when users complete specific actions – clicking, following, engaging, or converting – rather than just for impressions.
Who it reaches
X’s audience is distinctly engaged with current events, politics, sports, technology, and culture. The platform has strong representation from professionals, journalists, media influencers, and opinion leaders. For brands that want to reach early adopters and people who shape conversations rather than just follow them, X offers a demographic that differs from Instagram or TikTok.
Ad formats
X supports Promoted Ads (image, video, carousel, and text), Follower Ads, Amplify pre-roll video, Dynamic Product Ads, and Takeover placements. Campaigns can optimize for reach, video views, pre-roll views, app installs, website traffic, engagement, and other objectives using promoted ads, video, app, carousel, and takeover-style placements.
Vertical Video Ads are the platform’s fastest-growing surface, representing approximately 20% of daily total time spent on X. Full-screen, sound-on vertical ads run on mobile and automatically display a call-to-action. Takeover placements give brands exclusive ownership of the Timeline and Explore tabs across desktop and mobile – the highest-reach real estate on the platform.
Keyword and conversation targeting
Keyword targeting is a genuine differentiator for X. Advertisers reach users based on the words they use in their own posts and searches, not just inferred interest profiles. This reflects active intent and live conversation, not historical preferences. For product launches, news-driven campaigns, or timely promotions, it’s a targeting mechanism other social platforms don’t offer in the same way.
Targeting and pricing
Full targeting covers demographics, 25+ interest categories, 10,000+ topics, event targeting, Tailored Audiences from first-party data, and Lookalike Audiences. CPMs average $2.09 versus $2.53 on Meta. CPCs average $0.74 versus $1.41 on Meta. AI targeting updates in 2025 increased conversion rates by 16% on average.
